Whynot Wino?

During this past spring quarter I decided to deprive myself of my leisurely pace of life and go back to stressful college life to take one class: Wine Appreciation

I don’t know if anyone would actually consider school, classes in which 4-5 different wines were “appreciated” and homework consisted of trying wine. Now don’t get me wrong I didn’t pay tuition just to get drunk in class. My teacher is a professional enologist that has been in the wine business for over 30 years (her website, Winedirt.com offers tours and tastings classes), and she managed to introduce into my body more wine and knowledge than I thought possible.

Bethany Vineyards, WA

I am embarrassed to write that before this class it made perfect sense to me that red wine came from purple grapes and white from green ones. Well it’s a lot more interesting than that; what modifies the color of wine from lightest to darkest (white, rose and red) is the length of time that the tannins in the skins are left in the first product after  the grapes are crushed and de-stemmed. Tannins are what make red wine feel drier in your mouth; tea also contains tannins so think of how over steeped tea tastes like. Some people are into it and some are not.

A man not old, but mellow, like good wine, 
Stephen Phillips (1845-1915)
Ulysses, III. Ii

“Boozy expensive,” “juicy juice cheap,” and “this will be fine in lemonade” were my three wine categories in the past; henceforth, learning to taste and judge a wine was very intimidating at first. To grade a wine, one must consider: appearance, color, aroma and bouquet, volatile acidity, total acidity, sweetness, body, flavor, bitterness, astringency and overall quality. It was especially nerve wrecking for me to voice opinions on smell or taste; what if no one else smells this in here? But it really comes down to just going with your instincts. Most times someone else was smelling or tasting the same thing but couldn’t find the word; or maybe it’s just psychological and you are influencing their opinion. In the end there are no wrong answers, because everyone has a different palate and memory triggers different opinions. I recently read a book where one of the characters does an interesting exercise when he tries wine; he takes a sip or two, closes his eyes and tries to think of himself somewhere. A Pinot Noir might take you to a luscious, earthy forest; or a Riesling to a humid, mineraly cave.  For me, a Cabernet takes me to a sunny, salty beach. This is probably because of a vivid memory of a long day of swimming in the sea that ended with dinner and Cabernet shared to the young ones as a treat.

The history of wine is a very interesting and informative one. It really teaches you about the geographical, technological, political and overall, cultural situations of wine producing countries; amazing you with the extent that people go through to produce unique and delicious wines.  I didn’t know that vineyards in Germany are 70% slopes, and that it is usually elderly people picking the grapes BY HAND! Or that since Portugal has a majority of granite land, to be able to plant a vineyard one must blast it with dynamite first. The most impressive fact that stuck to my mind is the Phylloxera outburst in the 1860’s, when European winemakers exported American vines to their native land, and because of a pest in these roots ultimately destroyed Europe’s wine industry! Now I understand why Europeans hate Americans! They discovered that the pest doesn’t attack American root stocks, so to this date most vineyards in the world have truly American roots. How about that?

As a cook, one of the main reasons I took this course was to be able to pair my food with wine, and feel good about it. There are some basic rules, but once again your instincts are your best bet. When you know what the wine tastes and smells like it is easier to think of something that will go with it. Experimenting brought me these awesome pairings like: pot roast with French Syrah, cucumber salad with Italian Moscato, and waffles with Argentinean Chenin Blanc; unfortunately I got some not good at all: American Riesling with black bean soup. Either way, with cooking and drinking you always win because you get to eat and you get to drink, the order doesn’t really matter.

Wino Forever
Johnny Depp
(The tattoo once read 'Winona Forever'!)

Wine is a powerful thing. Wine has been around for more than 8,000 years ago. Winemakers dedicate their whole lives to it, investing all their money and time to grow the ingredients and precisely brew this magic potion.  Enologists recognize the force of wine and make it their personal mission to evaluate and share their statements to the world. There are millions of books, magazines and shows dedicated to find that special blend or vintage. All of this time and work justify themselves when a bottle of wine is shared. It creates an invisible bond throughout the evening that remains in our bodies and memories for years to come; it becomes a conversation in the future that starts with “Remember that night we drank that special wine…”

Guessing the grape won Rosie the bottle! 

Let us have wine and women, mirth and laughter,
Sermons and soda-water the day after.
Lord Byron
Don Juan

My favorite finds?

-Maryhill  Gewurztraminer  Columbia Valley  2008  $10 (lychees and honeysuckle with perfect acidity)

-Doctor L  Reisling  Mosel Region  2010  $12 (pear, apricot and orange with a creamy feel)

-Anthropology  Shiraz  Australia 2009  $14  (smoke and spice with jammy, cocoa tannins)

-Murphy-Goode  Merlot  California 2009  $12 (berries, currants and mint with a good body)